]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2016/05/12/solar-ready-gregory-baltoro/feed/1Trailer Living with Kalen Thorienhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2015/11/10/trailer-life-with-kalen-thorien/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2015/11/10/trailer-life-with-kalen-thorien/#commentsWed, 11 Nov 2015 00:31:07 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/?p=9897“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried…

..We but half express ourselves.”

– Emerson

School may have been a slippery, uninspiring time in my life, but it had its moments – most with my favorite teacher, Dr. Mooney. On a daily, he would repeat part of that quote “..we but half express ourselves” in hopes of inspiring something new in his students. It stuck with me, and fitting that I would stumble upon it during one of my first nights, alone, in my trailer. Emerson’s essays have always been a great source of inspiration, and his chapter “Self-Reliance” was the obvious choice for encouragement during a traveling low.

The reason for the sudden uproot was my mental livelihood had been seduced by repetition and consistency – an internal reservoir of normality where the occasional refresh of thought would find its way, but overall a stagnant body of trivial practice lay barren, still, waiting until the evaporative effects of societal commonplace whisks it into the setting sun. It was time for a change and with a bit of coincidence and personal drive, I had moved my things into a 17ft trailer and hit the road.

The adventure began with a place I hold dear – Escalante. The impending doom of winter had already brushed the mountainsides, so naturally the desert was the perfect retreat for the last breath of warmth. But unseasonably cold and wet weather had plagued Southern Utah for most of October, starting my adventure off on a shaky note. My arrival would be greeted with muddy, impassable roads forcing me to find residence at the local RV park. $30 a night to stay in my own camper felt like robbery and my first evening in Escalante was spent in a dimly lit trailer, falling asleep to the sounds of generators and yelping lap dogs – far from the romantic picturesque desert solitude I’d been searching for.

This night would lead to a whirlwind of questions and self-doubt. What did I get myself into? Was this really the best idea? I felt impotent and completely deflated. I had no desire to explore…just wanted to stew in my ambiguity while listening to the rain patter on my roof.

Eventually night gave way to the light of day and regardless how sad and pitiful I may be, the obnoxious internal optimist took hold and hit my reset button. Coffee in hand, I puttered along. The morning sun had already helped the condition of the roads and soon I found a spot worthy of the Bigfoot. I could now finally properly set up the trailer how I had hoped. My books lay neatly on their shelf, my rocks – displayed proudly. The camp chairs perched under the awning, overlooking the desert expanse, and even Francis (the Land Cruiser) had a autumn glow about her in her new parking spot. Things were shaping up and a tingle in my toes told me it was time to wander, and wander I did!

Checking out my new backyard. Sight courtesy of Goal Zero

On my way to a few slot canyons, I came across a proper campsite. If you squint, you can see the tiny blue mid-tent almost dead center of the photo. Kudos to those humans!

Moqui Marbles! I love coming across these. These stony spheres are concretions — sandstone balls cemented by a hard shell of iron oxide minerals that occasionally liter the sandstone ground. Roughly 2-5 million years old, these oddities are babies compared to the 190 million year old sandstone from which they form.

A weeks worth of rain left normally dry slot canyons – full. Needless to say, I had to swim.

Another day would take me down the Escalante River which was bathed in stunning fall colors.

The Escalante River was home and refuge to the Anasazi tribe thousands of years ago. Dwellings and art can be found scattered throughout this 87 mile long canyon.

An enticing overhang in the red rock led me to scramble up a steep, Russian Olive (very spikey bush that I hate!!) filled hillside to take a peak. I found what appeared to be a ruin mostly destroyed by rockfall as well as old pieces of corn, left intact by the dry desert heat.

Almost impossible to tell this was ever a dwelling or granary, but a few pieces of cemented slabs of sandstone give light to the mystery that indeed, someone once lived here.

It’s hard to tell, but this is Cryptobiotic Soil (with recent rain hence the green) and it’s all over the desert. Harboring mostly cyanobacteria, but also lichens, mosses, and green algae, this soil is essential for life in the desert. Cryptobiotic crusts increase the stability of otherwise easily eroded soils, increase water infiltration in regions that receive little precipitation, and increase fertility in soils often limited in essential nutrients. So watch your step, because this incredible natural wonder can take 200-250 years to regenerate!

Notice how the water is clear in this photo? Beginning of my hike you could see to the bottom, end of the hike the mud had taken over. Usually a good sign that rain is on the way…

…really cold wet canyons! After this photo, my footing disappeared and treading water was mandatory. Luckily, the camera survived.

It’s been a week now and I’m happy to report my friends, the desert has once again provided. The cleansing of the internal soul has began and my days are quickly being filled with new sights, sounds, and ideas. Waking up to chilly mornings, scouring my maps and sipping on coffee, eventually setting out down a new canyon or wash. Every turn leads to wonders that transfix for what feels like eternity. Staring at the different layers of stone, feeling their slight variances with the tips of my fingers and absorbing the energy it harnessed for millions of years. Digging up pebbles in search of crystals, picking fresh sage to dry, bathing in waterfalls…all movements a child would naturally make, but things we as adults tend to forget. Simplicity overshadowed by complication, then re-discovered by merely exploring.

Unpredictable the future ahead may be. I’ve put myself in a situation where the security of a city and home are in the rear-view, but ahead is something greater. This journey is about becoming MORE. To not sit idly by as the decay of time slowly overtakes me. I want to understand and discover a greater version of myself, to cultivate my own ideas, to cherish moments that could be perceived as irrelevant, to harness the power and beauty of the world around me until I’m filled beyond relief. That when I die, I know I did the best I could with every ounce of passion and life bestowed upon me. We each have the capability to do so, in our own right, and all it requires is trust in yourself, your decisions, and the ability to say yes to the horizon ahead.

“And now at last the highest truth on this subject remains unsaid; probably cannot be said; for all that we say is the far-off remembering of the intuition. That thought, by what I can now nearest approach to say it, is this. When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man;

you shall not hear any name;—— the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new.”

After sitting down with some of our Engineering team in the video above, we decided to go a little more in depth with our Senior Electrical Engineer Sterling Robison.

What do you do here at Goal Zero?

I’m Sterling Robison and I am an electrical engineer here on the product development team at Goal Zero. I spend part of my time designing new products that will go out on shelves and the rest researching core technologies that will be building blocks for later products. That’s basically what I do here.

What is the Venture 30?

So the Venture 30 is designed to be the all around, greatest, most rugged, smart power pack that’s out on the market. We’ve put a lot of attention to detail on all the different electronic features and mechanical features making it tough and weatherproof. We made sure it was compatible with anything out there under the sun that you would want to charge. We also wanted to make it charge just as fast as any of your original equipment would. It has some fun little tricks included in there with the lights, different operating modes and things like that which give it some differentiation from all the other generic stuff that’s out there.

who was it designed for?

I think everybody had the rugged outdoorsman in mind, people that need to rely on this stuff in harsh environments. That definitely shaped what the product became, but in the end I think anyone can benefit from those features which for some are a requirement, and for others are a nice benefit when using the product in their day to day lives.

What was your involvement with the project?

They handed me a list of specs and basically said, “do this”. There was a lot of ground work that went toward figuring out the best parts, circuits and other components that could meet those specs. I did a lot of hardware design up front, followed by all the firmware design. The Venture has some brains built in – a microprocessor talking to a bunch of components and sensors which make the whole thing work.

What do you mean by brains?

One of the key features that separates the Venture from all the other power banks out there is its ability to emulate ten different manufacturers charging profiles. So, regardless of whether you have a Samsung, LG, Apple or any other device, the Venture can go through the profiles and apply the quickest charging one to your specific device.

Other than that it has a bunch of other lighting modes packed into it that you can select and set up. It has a lot of built in protection built in so you can’t kill it or the thing you connect to it by plugging things in wrong. It has some smarts in there to update the programming in it if need be. It also has some programming to keep the idle usage power down really low so when it’s not in use that you can be sure the power will be there for you when you need it weeks or months down the road. It’s constantly checking for fault conditions and reacting. It also has a unique user-interface which gives people information about power in and out in a way most people will find intuitive. That’s all I can think of off of the top of my head right now.

Other than that, what makes it unique to the market?

I think the main thing is that most other power banks out on the market have a static USB port. It does one thing and one thing only. It’s not trying to figure out what your device wants, it doesn’t care how slowly your device is getting charged. If it has a light it is usually next to useless, whereas on the Venture you have a really bright light built in that will last forever and that has a lot of different modes built into it that you can use for whatever the situation demands.

On the mechanical side, it’s really rugged. It can stand up to a lot. You can drop it or leave it out in the rain. Basically you can count on it. It’s not just some cheap “fly by night” no name product with the cheapest electronics and battery stuffed in it.

What were some of the challenges with the project?

There’s always the usual challenges, trying to balance features, cost, schedule and all that stuff. That was especially hard with this one since we had such an aggressive schedule and a really tight price target that we were trying to meet. On top of that, the nature of the device being sealed inherently presented some challenges. There was a lot of attention that went into the thermal performance of the thing, to where you can actually run those high currents into your device without any ventilation. That was probably the number one challenge.

What was the most fun part of the project?

There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of late hard nights. There were times where I thought it was done and then some bug comes up and I’m back to square one. I think probably the most fun part, and this still happens, is when we get feedback in from people that are out using it in exotic places doing crazy things and a lot of their gear quits but the venture is still going strong. I love hearing things come in from people in the real world using it.

Why buy the Venture?

The battery is pretty future proof. As technology moves along, or if you switch devices, you know that with the Venture and it’s broad base of support that it will still work. You don’t have to worry about moving on to something else.

I mean, there’s the electronics side where you have the compatibility where it will charge as fast as anything out there including what comes with your phone. Then you have the rugged mechanical side where you don’t have to mess around with plugs or anything. You can drop it in a puddle, pull it back out and know that it’s going to still work. It can fall off the ledge, fall down the stairs and it is still going to work. It really is a cut above everything else out there.

How will you use it in your personal life?

I’ve been using it as kind of my only charger for about 6-8 months at this point, all along the prototyping cycle. My favorite way to use it is as a reservoir between the wall and my phone. Your wall cord doesn’t reach the patio but your phone’s dead? No problem. I know I always have power whether I am headed to the airport, out mountain biking or whatever. It’s just every day, every way.

What do you like the most about being an engineer here?

I like the opportunity to make a difference in a little bit broader way by creating products that people not only enjoy or appreciate, but that they can really benefit from. I like having a voice in shaping what products Goal Zero does, what technologies we use, and how things work. It is fun trying to make sure everyone has a great experience with our product.

Anything else you want to say about the venture?

I mean, read your manual, it is all in there. One of the cool features we put in there was the shipping mode. If you’re going to be boxing your stuff up and sending it to the other side of the world and you’re going to show up a few months later, there’s a way to hold down one of the buttons and get it to completely turn off. Once you get there, plug back in to wake it up and you can count on it being just as charged as when you put it in the box.

One of the best experiences I have had with the Venture was when I was out with my family. We wanted to explore these lava tube caves, so we drove out across the desert to them and when we got there, we realized we had forgotten any type of flashlight or headlamp. As that occurred to me, I thought, “I’ve got my Venture and it’s already got a great light”. It worked amazing and it had a very broad, nice warm light that saved the trip.

When my husband, Sean, and I tell people that we live in a yurt, their reaction usually falls somewhere between Clueless and Stoked.

Clueless: They have no idea what we’re talking about. It’s like they mis-heard what we said. “Oh. [Concentrating real hard] What is a… urrrt?”

Disbelief: They know what a yurt is, but have only associated such things with summer camp, ski resorts or hut trips… in the movies. “Seriously? Why would you want to live in a yurt?”

Stoked: They have been researching how to get their own piece of heaven and build a sustainable home, and are super interested to learn more about yurt life. “How did you guys do that?”

This trifecta is the basis of a theory created by our buddy, Chris (also a yurt dweller). He calls it the What, Why, How Theory surrounding alternative living. Essentially, by choosing to stray from the status quo, we encounter three levels of awareness when interacting with the world.

Typically, the first encounter with people (especailly Mom and Dad) when we decided to live off-the-grid in a “glorified tent” had a theme of WHAT. What are you doing? What is a yurt? What will you do for a toilet and water and power? What is wrong with the traditional homes? What does something like this cost? To this stage, we say, “Haters gonna hate.” We will always have these people in our life, and sometimes they stay in this stage and never leave. If you truly seek a simpler way of life, push past inquisition and help Mom and Dad move to the next phase…

WHY. Eventually, after we had done our research, and especially after the yurt was physically built, our friends, family and acquintances started changing their tune. With curiosity piqued by our persistance, they inquire to uncover our motives. Why a yurt? Why off-the-grid? Why move away from traditional structures? Why is it important to be sustainable? Sean and I feel this stage is an incredible opportunity to educate others. Most will appreciate us taking the time to explain, and go on living life. But a few… and I mean, VERY few, will go further into the last sphere…

HOW. How can I do what you’re doing? We are not living in a yurt to convert others to do the same. However, we’ll admit that we get a teensy bit stoked when someone actually asks about the nitty gritty. Presumably, something about the way we live has inspired someone else who–like us–seeks simplicity and is willing to sacrifice creature comforts to attain it. To these guys? We are happy to tell all.

This way of life that we’ve created for ourselves–literally, by building this yurt with our bare hands–has been the most eye opening, team-building adventure of our lives. People told us building a home together would ruin our marraige. People questioned why we would move out of a perfectly good on-the-grid home, to a smaller structure that required more “work.” But through it all, we put aside what others thought, complied with all the rules and laws of the modern world, and ended up with a lifestyle that has a slow, steady pace and keeps us grounded to the Earth and connected to nature.

We can lay in bed and listen to the owls hooting across the canopy. We spend more time on dishes because we don’t have a dishwasher. We carry in wood from the woodshed each day together to keep our heat source alive . This life… yurt life… has shown us that despite the pace of the world today, it is possible to slow down. It is possible to harvest sunshine for power. It is possible to get what you want, communicate why you have it, and tell others how to do it, too.

Once you make peace with yourself and your decision, other people’s whats, whys, and hows fade away, leaving just you, your space, and your greatest question yet. “What’s next?”

When she’s not writing, Mollie serves as the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization called Riding On Insulin. Sean is a professional backcountry snowboarder. Follow Sean and Mollie on Instagram at @SeanBusby and @TwoSticksAndABoard, or through their website: http://TwoSticksAndABoard.com. Questions about Yurt Life? Shoot them an email at twosticksandaboard@gmail.com.

I recently came across a piece of paper that Sun Valley Trekking founder, Bob Jonas, scrawled upon with the words: “I will not allow the village to enter the life of the backcountry. The huts are rustic and should remain so. They are a place that people escape the hustle of the village and experience nature and wildness on her terms.” I found this statement buried in the file cabinet a few days after installing the first Goal Zero solar power system at one of our huts and I wondered if we just crossed the line.

My wife Francie and I had taken over the Sun Valley Trekking operation and stewardship of the huts 15 years ago. Over this time, we have wrestled with the many challenges of maintaining six rustic huts way back in the Idaho backcountry. Some challenges can be covered with temporary band-aids but eventually most required the demolition of the old huts and starting anew. After 15 years, we basically rebuilt every hut to meet the demands of a growing powder-loving backcountry community.

The huts are designed and built to provide a cozy home in the backcountry. The basic needs that we provide are shelter, heat, water, toilets, a cozy bed, a well functioning kitchen, a gathering area and lights. I have struggled the most with the lights. We inherited a fleet of gas lanterns that were expensive to run, temperamental to start and maintain and were akin to time bombs awaiting a hut user to drop one. They also required our shuttling many gallons of fuel imported from far off lands every winter. I knew that solar could work and looked into to many possible systems, but it wasn’t until I found Goal Zero that I was truly impressed and ready to make the switch.

Over the past two years, we have installed Goal Zero solar power systems at each of our six backcountry hut locations and we couldn’t be happier. For each hut, we’re harvesting sun power via two Boulder 60 watt panels and storing the juice in two Extreme 350s or Yeti 400s that power 3-8 Light-a-Life LED lights. The batteries also power various devices and provide tunes for the backcountry dance parties that frequently erupt at the huts. We just went through a three week storm cycle in the Sawtooth Mountains, where the sun hardly came out and over 10′ of snow fell in glorious blizzards. The solar systems maintained power and lights for all the groups throughout!

Gone are the days the hissing white gas lantern slowly dimming and humping loads of gas in the backcountry. A new era has arrived in the Idaho backcountry that harvest power from the sun right on site. And even Bob Jonas approves.

“Having GOAL ZERO gear has been awesome for all us. Being able to simply turn on and off lights has been a huge asset. Our previous experience with the hassle, danger and inefficiency of gas lanterns is a night and day difference. The ability to charge devices has/is becoming increasingly important. As guides, we are finding our smart phones have become a critical navigation, record keeping and safety tool and the ability to keep them juiced on long backcountry trips has been a huge benefit. Having tunes, especially with the new GZ speakers, is pretty sweet too. The guests have been blown away, both by the simplicity of the systems and their reliability. “ -Joe St.Onge

A little more on Sun Valley TrekkingSun Valley Trekking began in 1982. Joe and Francie St.Onge own and operate a network of huts in central Idaho along with a team of guides, interns, and a beloved office manager named Molly. The huts were primarily built to provide access to the amazing backcountry powder and peaks to skiers. Of the six huts, one is open for use in the summer and provides phenomenal mountain biking, trekking and backcountry fun. In addition to the huts, they have a team of 10 professional mountain guides that guide skiers/boarders on multi-day adventures at the huts, day trips on the many peaks surrounding Sun Valley and summer treks and mountain biking trips. They also run guided expeditions year round both locally and in Yellowstone, Alaska and abroad.

A day in the life of a Sun Valley TrekkerWake up to the crackling of the fire in wood stove (maybe the new powder sliding on the roof!) and flip on the GZ light above your bunk. Wander over to the kitchen area to brew up some coffee with hot water from the wood stove while watching the first rays of light hit the peaks out the window. Give a cup coffee to your friends in their bunks and let them know it time to go skiing. Enjoy a great breakfast while discussing the itinerary for the day and acknowledging the snow conditions and any hazards. Head out for an awesome day of powder skiing in your own private Idaho, not seeing another person or rarely another track. Slide back to the hut after you’ve had your fill. Crank up the wood stove in the sauna, enjoy a celebratory beverage with appetizers while sharing stories about the day. Have a deep sweat and snow bath in a cedar sauna and enjoy a great meal around a hand hewed dining table. Things might get wild or folks may just crawl into a cozy bunk a crash to save energy for the next day. Wake up and repeat.

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/?galleries=sun-valley-trekking/feed/0The Sherpa 100: Thoughts From An Engineerhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/01/19/the-sherpa-100-thoughts-from-an-engineer/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/01/19/the-sherpa-100-thoughts-from-an-engineer/#commentsSun, 19 Jan 2014 13:26:05 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6133We recently added the Sherpa 100 to our line of products and are very proud of this new Power Pack. A few days ago we took the time to sit down with Walker Ford, the Project Leader for the Sherpa 100, and ask him a few questions.

What was your involvement with the Sherpa 100?I was the project manager and lead electronics engineer and oversaw the development from prototype through to production. My technical specialty is electronics and firmware. We also have a fantastic team comprising industrial, mechanical, and electronics engineers. The project involved many trips over to Asia. It was a bit faster to develop than the Sherpa 50, because the concept was already developed. But we wanted to make it significantly more powerful. It was a major challenge to get it to power over 100 watts, because of the small space, but we figured it out, and can sustain 120W.

I also get to occasionally input on design details, which is pretty lucky for a hardware guy. The output ports that are colored, unique shapes and light up when on. You’ll notice on the Sherpa 100 that the light rings are even a bit improved over the Sherpa 50. So it is pretty fun to be that closely involved too.

What is the Sherpa 100 and who was it designed for?The Sherpa 100 is the best lithium ion pack that we make. We had the passionate photographer/ Video producer in mind while designing it: people that need power in a small light package, wherever they happen to be. The Sherpa 100 is a better value than the Sherpa 50. It doesn’t take up that much more space and you get a lot more power. It’s really a fantastic product.

What do you think makes the Sherpa 100 unique to the market and to Goal Zero?This pack can do 120 watts on its output, which is more than any other comparable pack. This high power capability is significant. It’s also the look, and it’s the fact that you get 12V, laptop power, two USB’s, and you’ve got the option for the inverter. I’m not aware of another pack in this size that has an inverter. You are buying a quality product. It was designed using quality components. The cells are brand name, LG Chem cells. They’re not just going to die after a year. This same brand is used in some of electric cars. I’m really proud of that. I have a lot of confidence in the product.

What were some of the challenges and what were the most fun parts of the project for the team?The most fun part was making the user interface system as simple as possible. We had a lot of that fun with the Sherpa 50 when we came up with the shapes, colors and layout of the ports. You take one of our cables and you know where it should go, even if your eyes were closed.

I mentioned some challenges above. Another challenge was structural. We wanted it as small possible, so we had to do a super thin case. There were a few revisions to strengthen the plastic in certain areas to make sure it would be durable if dropped.

It’s fun to have a product line or an idea that can expand or scale. We went from the 50 to a 100, and we would honestly like to do a 200 but the big reason we haven’t done that yet is because of airline regulations. They will stop you if you have a pack over 100 watt hours. We could have made this thing bigger if not for that rule. We wanted the experience for our customers to be easy, we don’t want them to worry about taking it on the plane so we already thought of that for them.

Why buy the 100? What are it’s selling points?It’s the best value in a lithium-ion pack. If you’re going to go Sherpa because its output and weight are what you’re looking for, go with the Sherpa 100. It’s more powerful and not much bigger.

How will you use it in your life?It’s great for even just charging your cell phone. I don’t have an outlet near my bed stand so I use it to charge my phone every day. I charge (The Sherpa) up on the weekends so I don’t have to worry about leaving my phone on the floor charging every night.

I also always carry it with me on the plane. You never know if your plane will have power. You might as well be completely backed up.

What do you like most about being a GZ engineer?I like that we’re trying to create products that we’d actually use. These are relevant products. Also we’re technology agnostic. We are simply looking for the best technology that will give the best value for our customers and ourselves as customers. We get to research and stay on top of the latest technologies.

We’re also fortunate to have a broad product offering – meaning we have everything from small battery to large home power systems. And we’ve got customers in every walk of life. It really makes for a great variety in projects.

We also live in this great age where computers and connectivity are all around us, even in the smallest devices. Parts are getting cheaper, more powerful, and less energy consuming. We can brainstorm and literally implement almost anything we think of. This means we’ve got a long list of awesome ideas that we will make as soon as we have the time to do them. Really there’s no boundaries to what we do — that’s fun!

What else do you want to tell people about the Sherpa?I don’t know if they’ve landed in the user guide yet, but there are a couple easter eggs in the Sherpa 50 and 100. For those who are bothered by the colored lights at night, you can actually disable them through a series of button presses. Press the power button three times, then hold it down on the fourth time until the lights go off.

Another one is called “auto-on” mode, which can be useful in certain cases where you’ve set this outside to power something and it’s connected to solar. Let’s say it goes empty during the night, in the morning the solar will start to charge it, and then the Sherpa will turn back on. Hold down the power button for about seven seconds to enable/disable this mode. The LCD will indicate with a symbol that it is enabled.

It’s just a good all around pack. Most of the relevant information is printed on its bottom side. You can also get to the user guide from the QR code printed there too.

Maybe the best thing about the Sherpa 100 is that it comes with the Goal Zero team behind it. If you’ve got questions, technical questions, user questions, suggestions we are actually available and we welcome responses from our customers and we respond back where we can. We appreciate feedback about it.

I look forward to meeting you in the airport carrying your Sherpa!

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/01/19/the-sherpa-100-thoughts-from-an-engineer/feed/2912 Days of Power Giveawayhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/17/12-days-of-power-giveaway-2/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/17/12-days-of-power-giveaway-2/#commentsTue, 17 Dec 2013 18:31:16 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6091The holiday hustle is now drawing to a close. Egg Nog consumption is on the rise and final preparations are being made. The time has come to wrap up our 12 Days of Power Giveaway and announce the winners of the final six days. We want to thank everyone who participated and wish all of you the best this Holiday Season!

To all of you, we raise a glass of our favorite holiday beverage and say “Cheers”!

Day 7: Lighthouse 250

Kasumi Mori

Tonie King

Jeremy Enzweiler

Sherry Elmore

Robert Reid

Jeanette Tyson

Day 8: Nomad 7

Conor Caruth

Tyger Garcia

Tim Ducharme

Stephanie Campbell

Daniel Sellman

Day 9: Switch 8 Solar Kit

Tony Quintus

Samantha Johnson

Charles Terrell

Roy Payne Jr.

Day 10: Guide 10 Plus Kit

Mell West

Devon Weiss

Erica Smith

Day 11: Sherpa 50

Aziza Camacho

Merton Parsons

Day 12: Sherpa 50 Kit

William Tungate

To claim your prize email us at Social@goalzero.com

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/17/12-days-of-power-giveaway-2/feed/0The Evolution of The Hunterhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/09/13/the-evolution-of-the-hunter/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/09/13/the-evolution-of-the-hunter/#commentsFri, 13 Sep 2013 12:00:32 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6008 As the air turns colder and the leaves begin to change, across the country hunters are making their final preparations. They spend the entire year gearing up for the hunting season, constantly reading and researching new gear that could lead to success in the field.

One thing this new gear has in common – great advances in technology.

Back in the days of Fred Bear and Roy Case, your gear cache may have consisted of your handmade bow, a quiver full of precisely handmade arrows, a canteen, and enough food to get you through the day.

Today, hunters everywhere are using technology to pinpoint hunting locations, photo document, and capture their adventure on video. While advances in technology make this all possible, they still run into one common problem; how to keep all of this equipment powered on extended hunts?

I can remember years of filming archery videos in the Rocky Mountains where I was forced to carry 10 or more batteries for a 5 day hunt. And that didn’t include batteries for all my smaller devices. I knew there had to be a better way to bring power with me then a brick of camera batteries and a bag full of AA/AAs.

I was introduced to Goal Zero’s portable solar-powered gear 4 years ago in their early stages. I had used other portable solar panels in the field and hadn’t had a good experience. But at this point in my hunt, I was willing to try just about anything to get away from packing a crazy amount of batteries.

I received the gear on a Wednesday and was leaving Thursday morning for the opener of Utah’s archery season. So without testing I decided to take a chance and leave half of my camera batteries in the truck (worst case I would have to hike 3 hours back and get them) and take 4 batteries and my new portable power kit. We hunted and filmed hard for 6 days and I ended up using and recharging 2 of 4 batteries. Needless to say I was an immediate believer in Goal Zero’s portable power kit. Not to mention it weighed significantly less than all the batteries I was used to lugging around.

Since my first experience, Goal Zero’s product has come a long way. I’ve shed about 6 pounds from my pack by incorporating a variety of Goal Zero power packs and solar panels, as well as tailoring my devices around USB charging. I use GoPros for filming, USB rechargeable headlamps, and my cell phone with an adapter to take photos and videos through my spotting scope. All of which I can now power from the sun. Below is a list of the Goal Zero products I use on the hunt and what I use them for.

Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit

I take two Sherpa 50s into the field with me. One to charge camera batteries and the other to run a single Light-A-Life lantern that provides all the light I need at camp to cook, read, and get my gear prepped. I leave the Nomad 13 solar panel at camp to charge my Sherpa 50s.

Guide 10 Plus Solar Recharging Kit

This is the kit the goes out on the mountain with me to keep my phone charged throughout the day. I can use the Guide 10 to charge my headlamp, GoPro, and phone while sitting in camp at night.

Light-A-Life Lantern (LAL)

I always take a single LAL with me into the field. Weighing in at 10oz and only pulling 3 watts, the LAL runs for close to 17 hours straight on a single charge of my Sherpa 50.

Goal Zero allows anyone to take power anywhere in the world, including the desolate backcountry. With lightweight portable power sources you can take luxuries along for the adventure that were once impossible.

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/09/13/the-evolution-of-the-hunter/feed/0Solar powered medical equipmenthttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/30/solar-powered-medical-equipment/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/30/solar-powered-medical-equipment/#commentsTue, 30 Jul 2013 19:41:02 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5960Some people feel limited due to their medical devices but that doesn’t have to be the case. In the tragic event that the power goes out and you cannot simply plug your medical equipment into the wall, plug into the sun! How about when you’re camping with your medical equipment, how do you keep it charged? Solar power is a solution you may not have considered.

ECG monitors, used to measure your heart rate, usually take AAA batteries or are charged from a USB source. The Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit has the ability to charge AAA’s and USB devices, like an ECG monitor! Because you can power up with the sun, you’ll never have to worry about finding a plug.

Infusion pumps are a little more powerful usually using a 6V battery to run. Infusion pumps are used to deliver vital medications to someone, or to deliver proper nutrition. Imagine if there was no power. The battery may run for a few hours on its own but then it would need to be recharged. Yeti 150 to the rescue!

CPAP machines are used to allow easy breathing while you’re sleeping. For some, this is essential to make it through the night. The question remains, what happens if there is no power? What if a father wants to take his kid camping? There are no outlets on the woods. The new Yeti 400 provides enough power for a full 8 hours of sleep with a CPAP machine, literally anywhere. food storage moms posted this awesome review, check it out here.

Well, if you’re first bike is on one of these trails, it may not be love. It may be a torturous, painful, exhausting ride but in the end you’ll feel like such a champ! You’ll be thinking to yourself, “whens the Tour De France? Count me in!”
Of course your’re going to want to document all of your crashes as roof of what you survived. Take battery back up power for your GoPro by strapping aportable solar panel to your backpack.